Examples of what families/whānau need to know about school/kura donations

Fees for enrolment are unlawful. As enrolment is free, there can be no charge for anything associated with the enrolment process.

Item	Item Category	Key
Application fee	Other	X
Enrolment fee	Other	X
Out-of-zone ballot fee	Other	X
Bond	Other	X

Boards cannot ask families and whānau for contributions to operational costs – these costs should be covered by the school’s operational funding, which is paid by the Ministry of Education.

Item	Item Category	Key
Heating, lighting and water	Operational	X
Soap, hand sanitiser, tissues	Operational	X

Item	Item Category	Key
Access to school/kura network	Curriculum	X
Use of school/kura hardware	Curriculum	X
Contribution towards devices such as tablets, smartphones, netbooks, laptops, Chrome Books	Curriculum	X
Requiring students/rangatahi to provide software or pay for software licenses	Curriculum	X
Requiring students/rangatahi to provide calculators	Curriculum	X
Purchase of non-compulsory hardware or software	Goods and Services	$

Out-of-school extra programmes that are not part of the core learning programme (curriculum) are considered a good/service.

It should be made clear that participation is voluntary, and incurs a charge.

Item	Item Category	Key
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)	Curriculum	X
Reading recovery and learning support	Curriculum	X
High school 'subject fees'	Curriculum	X
Specialist units (e.g. Montessori, Arrowsmith, Te Reo Māori, Gagana Sāmoa)	Curriculum	X
Supplementary programmes (e.g. Mathletics)	Curriculum	X
STAR courses	Curriculum	X
Tertiary-level courses offered as part of the school programme	Curriculum	X
Tertiary course (dual enrolment at tertiary institution)	Goods and Services	$
Gifted education programmes	Goods and Services	$

Item	Item Category	Key
Textbooks	Curriculum	X
Workbooks (compulsory)	Curriculum	X
Workbooks (optional, when parents have agreed to purchase)	Goods and Services	$
Photocopying/printing as part of core education programme (curriculum use)	Curriculum	X
Photocopying/printing (personal and not needed for core programme learning, extra-curricular use)	Goods and Services	$
Stationery (if parents decide to buy from school/kura stationery shop)	Goods and Services	$

Item	Item Category	Key
Swimming as part of general curriculum (at school/kura or off-site)	Curriculum	X
Swimming as voluntary activity (lunch time or after-hours)	Goods and Services	$

Schools and kura cannot ask parents/whānau to pay for materials used in delivering the core learning programme (curriculum). This includes cooking ingredients for a food technology class.

Food eaten as part of a food technology class is part of the core learning programme (curriculum) – this is because students need to taste the food they prepare to ensure it is fit for consumption (sensory evaluation).

Schools can charge parents/whānau for the cost of materials when they have agreed that the item can be taken home – for example, an item of clothing.

Item	Item Category	Key
Materials used as part of delivering core learning programme (curriculum)	Curriculum	X
Take-home component where parents have agreed to purchase (e.g. a letterbox or an item of clothing)	Goods and Services	$

Item	Item Category	Key
Tuition (course-related)	Curriculum	X
Tuition (optional outside of general education programme, extra-curricular)	Goods and Services	$
Instrument hire (course delivery)	Curriculum	X
Instrument hire (optional, extra-curricular)	Goods and Services	S

Boards can charge parents/whānau for optional activities, like sports trips, that are outside the core learning programme (curriculum). Participation is optional, and schools can charge parents/whānau if they have agreed for their child to participate.

Item	Item Category	Key
Visiting drama or music groups (non-curriculum)	Goods and Services	$
School sports teams	Goods and Services	$
After-hours/lunchtime/weekend culture or sports activities	Goods and Services	$

Item	Item Category	Key
Attendance dues – these are compulsory	Compulsory	$

Schools and kura are not expected to make profits from school uniforms – they should recover only their costs.

Item	Item Category	Key
School/kura uniform from a school/kura uniform shop	Goods and Services	$

Further guidance on school uniforms — Commerce Commission(external link)

 

 

Students can attend this type of event if they buy a ticket. Students should not be stopped from accessing optional activities because their families/whānau have not paid for other items.

For example schools/kura should not require families/whānau to pay for sports costs or a donation towards the school camp before they can buy a ticket to the school ball.

Item	Item Category	Key
School/kura ball	Goods and Services	$
School/kura magazines are optional to buy	Goods and Services	$

Schools and kura can continue to ask for donations for overnight school camps if they are part of the core learning programme (curriculum). Such a request is for a donation.

Families and whānau can choose to pay the donation in full, in part or not at all.

Item	Item Category	Key
Overnight camp as part of specific course (e.g. Year 12 Outdoor Education)	Curriculum	D
Overnight camp as part of general education programme (curriculum) (e.g. Year 9 orientation camp, Year 7 EOTC camp)	Curriculum	D
Overnight geography field trip	Curriculum	D
Trip/visit as part of general curriculum	Curriculum	X
Charge/fee for an optional event (e.g. weekend ski trip, extra-curricular)	Goods and Services	D

What is a school camp?